Many companies retain private information such as customer or consumer data. This data of private information that can be used specifically for future marketing and/or communication with a company's customers, employees, vendors and/or business partners. However, if that information is not properly controlled problems may arise. The unauthorized use or release of the private information can be detrimental to a company as companies and people become hesitant to do business with a company that cannot properly control and maintain in secrecy and confidence its collected private information.
While maintaining private information internally within a company can often be difficult, further issues arise when the private information is outsourced to external third party companies. Outsourcing the private information for telemarketing, direct mailing, and email marketing is extremely common in today's global economy. The release of private information to a third party is typically done under extreme confidence, but unfortunately leaks may still occur. As such internal and external factors are working against a company and its ability to maintain its private information.
In systems used today, false information is inserted into a company's private information, otherwise known as seed data. The seed data is then tracked and when an email or direct mail is sent to the seed data, the company can determine the email or direct mail was part of its own marketing efforts or if the private information was leaked. This can hopefully provide the company with the knowledge that its private information has been leaked. Acting quickly in these situations can sometimes help stop the release and use of its private information. Unfortunately, the prior system are far from perfect and become more difficult to use in today's new generation of internet based telecommunication technology platforms.